Improving transparency in financial and business reporting. Harmonization topics

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Business Reporting

Evaluation and analysis of SDG reporting: evidence from Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olayinka Adedayo Erin ◽  
Omololu Adex Bamigboye
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Business Reporting ◽  
Accounting Research ◽  
The Government

Purpose The 2030 Agenda and the sustainable development goals (SDG) have gained considerable attention in research and public debate. This calls for accounting research on the subject of SDG disclosure. Based on this premise, this paper aims to evaluate and analyze the extent of SDG reporting by 80 listed firms from 8 selected African countries for the period of 2016 to 2018. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a content analysis and survey method to evaluate the extent of SDG reporting by the selected African countries. This paper conducted content analysis through the use of the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) framework and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework to gauge the extent of firms’ compliance with SDG reporting. Also, this paper uses the business reporting indicators for each SDG developed by GRI to determine the compliance level of the selected firms regarding SDG reporting. The survey was targeted at the big four audit firms (PwC, KPMG, Ernst and Young and Deloitte and Touche). Findings The evaluation of SDG disclosure by the 80 listed firms in Africa is still at a very low level except for South African firms. Also, the findings of the business reporting indicators for each SDG target show that most of the firms show little or no concern to report on SDG activities. The result of the research survey indicates that voluntary disclosure, lack of management commitment, lack of regulatory enforcement and cost implications account for low SDG disclosure by the selected African firms. Research limitations/implications This study fails to consider the qualitative research approach in determining the extent of SDG disclosure in Africa, as the study did not allow respondents to freely express their opinion on SDG disclosure, as a large part of the survey used close-ended questionnaires. Practical implications This study’s findings call for clear responsibility and a strong drive for SDG performance from corporate institutions in Africa. While the overall responsibility rests on the government, the actualization of SDG cannot be achieved without support from corporate organizations. The empirical approach used in this study emphasizes the need for corporate organizations to embrace sustainable practices and to integrate SDG information into their reporting cycle. Originality/value This study contributes to growing literature in the area of corporate reporting, sustainability reporting and SDG research in Africa and other emerging economies. Also, this study provides original insight into the contribution of accounting research toward the achievement of SDG.

E-Government Adoption in the U.K.

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rania Mousa
Keyword(s):  
Decision Makers ◽  
Electronic Government ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Adoption Process ◽  
Government Information ◽  
Business Reporting ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Strategic Plans ◽  
Agent Of Change ◽  
Government Initiative

Electronic government is one of the strategic innovations which have become a powerful agent of change for developing better government information and services and supporting the modernization of government’s operations. This paper investigates a remarkable e-government initiative represented by the adoption process of the Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) at Companies House (CH) in the United Kingdom. Based on the application of Rogers’ framework, the research identifies CH’s motivation, vision and process to use XBRL to achieve efficiency and produce better quality data to enhance and streamline the electronic filing process. The novelty of this research is based on the usage of a well-established innovation adoption framework to examine XBRL adoption as a process –rather than a product- innovation that remains to be an under-researched area. This research provides valuable implications and conclusions that can help decision makers and IT experts in government agencies to devise meaningful strategic plans to adopt future e-government initiatives and develop existing ones.

scholarly journals The effect of extensible business reporting language on the performance of the internal audit

Accounting ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1167-1172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yousef Shahwan ◽  
Ibraheem Jodeh
Keyword(s):  
Internal Audit ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Internal Auditors ◽  
Business Reporting ◽  
Regression Methods ◽  
Top Managers ◽  
Spss Software ◽  
External Entity

This study aimed to examine the effect of applying extensible business reporting language on the performance of the internal audit. A questionnaire was used to collect the data from 115 of the top managers of firms and internal auditors. Multiple regression methods were employed through SPSS software to test the hypotheses. The results of the study show that the external entity pressure, ease of use of the system, and cost-benefit overload positively and significantly affect the performance of the internal audit. While adapting to previous systems, training their employees, and the successful implementation of the model did not affect the performance of the internal audit.

Nutzen von Erfahrungswissen in Krisen.

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-139
Author(s):  
Janina Barth ◽  
Andrea H. Schneider-Braunberger
Keyword(s):  
Public Discourse ◽  
Press Coverage ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
The Public ◽  
Business Reporting ◽  
Award Winning ◽  
The Media ◽  
German Newspaper ◽  
Past Experiences ◽  
Historical References

Abstract It appears to be almost self-evident that most people look towards past experiences for guidance during times of crisis. We would like to consider the empirical evidence for this assumption by analysing the public discourse regarding the reactions to crises, which includes general reporting, statements from politicians or discussions in the media. The outbreak of the Corona pandemic in Germany, starting in March 2020, opens the possibility to collect several preliminary findings by analysing relevant press coverage in the newspapers. Articles from different sections of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (F.A.Z.) and from the Handelsblatt were evaluated. As our main interest focuses on economic historical (not e. g. medical historical) research questions, we chose the F.A.Z. First, because its business reporting is important within the German newspaper environment in general. Second, because its reporting on the Corona pandemic was award-winning. Additionally, we focused on the Handelsblatt because the newspaper provides press coverage explicitly on financial, business, and political issues – all subjects directly affected by the Corona crisis. The analysis concluded that there was a rise in articles with historical references in general while the number of articles linked to businesses did not increase at the same time which can be linked to the absence of expert business history opinions on offer.

Advancing Financial Reporting in the Age of Technology: An Interview with Robert H. Herz

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-124
Author(s):  
Robert H Herz ◽  
Duo Pei
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Big Data ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
Financial Accounting Standards Board ◽  
Business Reporting ◽  
Reporting Process ◽  
Part Time

ABSTRACT This paper is based on an interview on January 9, 2020, with Robert H. (Bob) Herz, the former two-term chairman of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, on how the environment for business reporting has evolved and how it may continue to evolve. Bob Herz has also held decision-making positions as a part-time member of the IASB and on the board of the SASB. In this interview, we discuss a pragmatic reporting model suited to the era of Big Data and technology. We also explain the different interests of the reporting process, including the standard-setters, preparers, auditors, and users. The main idea of this paper focuses on how to incorporate Big Data and technology into reporting models working within the current framework and needs of the stakeholders. We then outline several use cases that illustrate a refined reporting model using Big Data and technology.

XBRL Tag Extensions and Tax Accrual Quality

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Walton ◽  
Liu L Yang ◽  
Yiyang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Relative Rate ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Accrual Quality ◽  
Business Reporting ◽  
Prior Literature ◽  
Tax Reporting ◽  
Financial Reporting Comparability

The adoption of eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) requires management to label all information in their firm's financial statements and corresponding notes with either standardor custom extended tags. While prior literature has found that the rate of customization is associated with increased financial reporting complexity, there could be an unintended, beneficial consequence to tax reporting. We examine how the relative use of tax-related XBRL tag extensions could highlight unique tax activity characteristics, in turn increasing tax accrual quality and improving tax reporting transparency. We find that having a higher relative rate of extended tax tags is associated with higher tax accrual quality. That is, utilizing more tax tag extensions can assist in providing useful tax information, especially when a high number of total XBRL tags are used. Our results also suggest the need to reexamine the standard taxonomy to include more tax-oriented terms to improve financial reporting comparability.

XBRL Mandate and Timeliness of Financial Reporting: Do XBRL Filings Take Longer?

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Du ◽  
Kean Wu
Keyword(s):  
Multivariate Analysis ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Small Companies ◽  
Filing Date ◽  
The Public ◽  
Business Reporting ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Jel Classifications

ABSTRACT This study examines the impact of the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) mandate on the timeliness of financial reporting, measured by the reporting lag between fiscal period end and the filing date. Using annual and quarterly filing data from 2007 to 2014, we compare the reporting lags of XBRL reports to the lags of non-XBRL reports in three separate filing categories as defined by the SEC. The results show that by using XBRL the reporting lag is shortened by one to two days when companies file annual reports while the reporting lag is shortened by one day in quarterly filings. However, the results are manifest for both large accelerated filers and accelerated filers. In the multivariate analysis, we do not observe the improved reporting lag when using XBRL among non-accelerated filers. While we provide the evidence that the XBRL mandate improves the timeliness of financial reporting for large filers, we question the public policymaking of the XBRL mandate that has the intention of benefiting small companies and their investors. JEL Classifications: D83; G14; G18; M48; Z18

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